


On Appa

by lunargoodness



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Appa just thinks Zuko's neat, Fluff, Gen, No Romance, Post-Episode: s03e16 The Southern Raiders, Zuko (Avatar)-centric, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, so so dumb you guys, zuko just needs a pet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:33:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24716122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunargoodness/pseuds/lunargoodness
Summary: After chasing Appa and freeing Appa and getting licked by Appa, Zuko finally gets a chance to take the reins.
Relationships: Appa & Zuko (Avatar), Katara & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 22
Kudos: 299





	On Appa

Zuko would never admit it, but flying on the Avatar’s bison - Appa - made him queasy.

He tried to look nonchalant when he rode in the saddle with the rest of the team, and keeping his eyes trained on the horizon always helped, but sometimes Appa would turn or dive, and he’d have to grip the saddle with white knuckles to keep from panicking. And that was in the saddle. He knew the Avatar - Aang - could catch himself with air, and dive into water from great heights, but every time Aang stood upright in the saddle, or scooted around on Appa’s head mid-flight, Zuko had to swallow a knot in his throat. Being this high up, at the mercy of an unpredictable beast - animal - was objectively terrifying.

Appa let out a low roar that Zuko felt as much as heard. In the half-dark under the full moon, he took his eyes off the line where the stars disappeared into the ocean, to see Katara swaying slightly from her position at the nape of Appa’s neck. She shook herself quickly, but Zuko’s imagination flashed to images of her falling asleep and slipping off Appa, falling into darkness below before he or the bison could catch her. The thought sent ice down his spine.

“You should rest,” he told her again. He knew he was right - he saw her head dipping as she tried to stay awake on her perch. Katara knew he was right, too.

Wordlessly, she clambered up towards the saddle as Zuko moved to help her up. She grabbed his arm, but turned her head away, but not before he saw how red her eyes were. Without looking at him, Katara thrust the reins towards his chest. The sudden movement made Appa bank to the left, but the bison course-corrected instantly, with a low grumble. Zuko scrambled to grab hold of the woven rope.

“I don’t - How do I -? “ Without a word, Katara vaulted herself up into the saddle and immediately curled up into herself, her forehead on her knees.

Appa grumbled again and started shaking his head back and forth slowly. Zuko glanced at the top of Appa’s head, then back at Katara. It seemed like the bison wanted someone to steer, and Zuko had always seen one of the Avatar’s merry band of benders atop Appa’s head, reins in hand. But Katara was in no shape to keep flying and he had zero clue about steering a bison.

He briefly considered staying at the front of the saddle, in relative safety, but the reins were too short - he’d have to lean precariously over the saddle’s edge to keep a neutral grip, which would defeat the whole purpose of staying securely in the saddle.

He swallowed, set his jaw, and gingerly let himself down over the prow of the saddle. It was nerve-wracking. He’d climbed prison walls and leapt onto gondolas, he’d climbed the side of war balloons, sure, but none of them were _alive_. It was the alive part that made it so much worse.

His feet didn’t find any purchase in the thick fur of Appa’s shoulder, and he found himself dangling off the front of the saddle, not quite able to reach soft fur with his feet. He had to resist a groan. _Nice planning. Again_.

Zuko weighed his options: he could either haul himself back up and try another strategy - or slide down the slope of fur before ending up safely in the dip at the nape of the bison’s neck. In theory. Hopefully.

He did have a third option, technically. Zuko considered asking Katara for a hand, but he dismissed the thought almost immediately. He knew that A) she hated him, B) she was on a mission to murder someone already and C), she might take this chance to actually kill him, and just claim he’d fallen off of Appa accidentally. And even if she had forgiven him - well, she hadn’t. But even if she was willing to help, he knew she needed to rest before things got really tough, and helping him maneuver around on a bison was not that.

Below him, Appa let out a soft _whuff_.

“I’m trying! Hold still.” Zuko hissed out. He braced himself, preparing to let go of the saddle and grab hold of anything he could to control his slide.

 _Breathe in… breathe out…_ He let go.

The bison’s fur was more slippery than he’d realized, after flying through clouds for hours. In a split second, he realized with a panic that he was slipping sideways off the bison’s left side. A thousand thoughts flashed through his head. Aang without a teacher. His father’s vicious firebending. Katara waking up to find herself alone in the sky. Azula laughing at him. _What a way to die, dum-dum_.

Appa roared, and suddenly, Zuko wasn’t sliding anymore.

Appa had crooked his head back, pressing Zuko between his head and his shoulder. Zuko’s whole body was pinched between two walls of fur, but he wasn’t falling. He gulped in a breath, relieved, but he still wasn’t exactly safe. Appa’s flight course was tipping precariously as he held his head and front leg still.

Zuko looked around frantically for a handhold, when his eyes lighted on the reins dangling above him. He reached up and just barely grasped onto the rope. He braced his feet against the bison’s shoulder and started hauling himself back up. Appa’s head tilted and he let out another low roar, but Zuko muttered frantic apologies while he scrambled up as quickly as he could.

In a moment of blessed relief, he found himself sprawled atop the bison’s head, right about where he’d seen Katara sitting. He felt boneless and shaken, he was clinging to the reins, but he was safe.

Zuko took a moment to catch his breath, then he sat up and situated himself. As soon as he was sitting upright, he reached down with one hand to rub the Bison’s soft fur. “Thank you, Appa.” The Avatar’s bison _whuff_ ed again.

 _It's smart_ , Zuko realized. He should have known better, but he’d considered Appa only as a method of transportation, like the _Wani_ , or a beast of burden. Sure, Appa had licked him with his big, rough, slobbery tongue when he’d first shown up at the air temple, but plenty of animals did that. No, Appa had _saved his life_. The bison was a thinking, deciding creature. The thought should have unsettled him, but it was actually a comfort.

 _Yeah, now that I’m on the right side_ , he thought ruefully.

The Sun Warrior’s words flashed through his memory: “They’ll read your hearts, your souls, and your ancestry. If they deem you worthy, they’ll teach you. If they don’t, you’ll be destroyed on the spot.” If the dragons could judge him, why couldn’t a bison? And if Appa had saved him, then maybe… A cautious, tempered pride welled up in him as he kept running his hand across the bison’s warm head. After a few minutes of peaceful flight, another thought occurred to him.

“Appa?” Zuko whispered. He wasn’t sure the bison could hear him, but what could it hurt?

“Can we- this is stupid. This is so stupid.” But he went on. “Can you not… tell Katara? Or Aang?”

He felt his whole face get red. _This is so ridiculous. The bison can’t talk. How could it - he - possibly say-_

Appa snorted and tossed his head.

Zuko wasn’t quite sure what that meant, but he gave Appa one more pat before taking up the reins again.

“Thanks.”

**Author's Note:**

> So so dumb. I know Appa isn't actually that hard to maneuver around on. But I just love the idea of Zuko being totally nervous about actually flying Appa.


End file.
